Burkina Faso

DIHR Representative in Ouagadougou, Evariste Ouedraogo

We have worked in Burkina Faso since 2006. In collaboration with the country's security forces, the Ministry of Justice and other state actors we contribute to trust building and the promotion and protection of human rights.

Together with neighbouring Niger and Mali, Burkina Faso is a priority country for the Danish Institute for Human Rights. Our work in the three countries contributes to the fight against terrorism in the Sahel-region.

What we do

Our objective is to contribute to a well-functioning national human rights system where state human rights actors improve their capacity to exercise their mandate and work in complementarity for a better protection of the rights of individuals. We are striving to achieve this by working together with the government, internal security forces, national human rights actors, and civil society organisations.

Through these partnerships we work to support sustainable national human rights mechanisms for monitoring ongoing legislation and a justice system that is capable and devoted to the safeguarding of the rights of the citizens. We support the development of internal oversight mechanisms and human rights training of the Internal Security Forces, enabling them to fight impunity and build a relationship of trust with the population.

We likewise work to foster business respect for human rights in Burkina Faso. Over the past decade, the country has seen large and rapid growth in the mining sector. While mining activities are an important source of livelihoods, they have been associated with significant adverse impacts including human rights abuses, environmental degradation, and gender  inequality. In collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, Civic Promotion and Human Rights, we are facilitating the conduct of a study exploring the human rights impacts of the extractive businesses.

The team includes a national representative, two national human rights advisors, a project officer, and a financial officer at our local office in Ouagadougou.

Our work is funded by the EU Emergency Trust Fund for the Sahel (EUTF for the Sahel), DANIDA and SIDA.

Partners

  • The Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Civic Promotion (MJDHPC)
  • The National Human Rights Commission in Burkina Faso (CNDH)
  • The National Police of Burkina Faso
  • The National Gendarmerie
  • The Penitentiary Guard (Garde de Sécurité Pénitentiaire)
  • The Corps of Waters and Forests (Corps des Eaux et Forêts)
  • Fondation pour l’Etude et la Promotion des Droits de l’Homme en Afrique (FEPDHA)
  • Centre d’Information et de Formation en matière de Droits Humains en Afrique (CIFDHA)
  • Centre pour la Qualité du Droit et la Justice (CQDJ)

UN recommendations 

The United Nations monitors the human rights situation in all countries and experts and member states give recommendations to individual governments. Read the UN recommendations to Burkina Faso here.

Contact

Department Director, Human Rights, Africa